MICHIGAN, USA — Be ready for another rollercoaster ride, weather-wise, the next few days as near-record warmth, rain, and gusty winds impact West Michigan. In other words, not representative of the middle of December.
The culprit will be a strengthening low-pressure system, which will track from the lee side of the Rocky Mountains to the Arrowhead of Minnesota in the Wednesday to Thursday timeframe.
In the meantime, only a continued increase in cloud coverage is expected for the rest of Tuesday. It will remain mild, for the middle of December standards, as temperatures settle in the 40s.
The rollercoaster ride kicks off tonight into Wednesday as a warm front (associated with low-pressure) noses into the lower Great Lakes. Overnight lows will bottom out around 40°, before soaring into the 50s on Wednesday. Temperatures will only continue to warm late Wednesday into the early hours of Thursday, with many locations near 60°. Putting that in perspective, here are the record high temperatures for December 15 and 16.
Grand Rapids: December 15: 60° (1971), December 16: 61° (1984)
Muskegon: December 15: 58° (1971), December 16: 58° (1984)
Kalamazoo: December 15: 62° (1975), December 16: 60° (1984)
The surge of warmer air will be accompanied by scattered showers overnight Tuesday through Wednesday. Rain amounts will remain minor, with only a tenth to a quarter-inch expected.
Impacts will be greatest from the gusty winds that develop, especially on the heels of last Saturday’s wind event. On Wednesday, breezy south gusts will settle between 25 to 35 mph, aiding in the warm temperatures. Peak winds will be achieved overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning as a cold front arrives and departs. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible, which could lead to another round of scattered power outages. Winds will slowly relax throughout Thursday.
Once the cold front departs, it’s back to reality around West Michigan. Temperatures will plummet back near average for much of the extended forecast Friday onward. At this point of the year, average high temperatures are in the middle 30s and average low temperatures are in the middle 20s.
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